Matthew 18:18

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Singinbeauty

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New King James Version…

Matthew 18:18
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Here Jesus is talking to all the disciples. It perked my ears because this is one of the foundations of papal authority because Jesus had said this to Peter. Could it be that Jesus had turned to all of the disciples and said this to all of the disciples? That the ‘Rock’ truly was the faith that Peter had portrayed?

Matthew 16:19
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Just looking for feedback… no waves, I promise! 🙂
 
18:18 does not contradict the earlier passage. He gave them authority, but … (read on)…

catholic.com/library/Peter_the_Rock.asp

Beyond the grammatical evidence, the structure of the narrative does not allow for a downplaying of Peter’s role in the Church. Look at the way Matthew 16:15-19 is structured. After Peter gives a confession about the identity of Jesus, the Lord does the same in return for Peter. Jesus does not say, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are an insignificant pebble and on this rock I will build my Church. . . . I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is giving Peter a three-fold blessing, including the gift of the keys to the kingdom, not undermining his authority. To say that Jesus is downplaying Peter flies in the face of the context. Jesus is installing Peter as a form of chief steward or prime minister under the King of Kings by giving him the keys to the kingdom. As can be seen in Isaiah 22:22, kings in the Old Testament appointed a chief steward to serve under them in a position of great authority to rule over the inhabitants of the kingdom. Jesus quotes almost verbatum from this passage in Isaiah, and so it is clear what he has in mind. He is raising Peter up as a father figure to the household of faith (Is. 22:21), to lead them and guide the flock (John 21:15-17). This authority of the prime minister under the king was passed on from one man to another down through the ages by the giving of the keys, which were worn on the shoulder as a sign of authority. Likewise, the authority of Peter has been passed down for 2000 years by means of the papacy.
 
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Singinbeauty:
New King James Version…

Matthew 18:18
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Here Jesus is talking to all the disciples. It perked my ears because this is one of the foundations of papal authority because Jesus had said this to Peter. Could it be that Jesus had turned to all of the disciples and said this to all of the disciples? That the ‘Rock’ truly was the faith that Peter had portrayed?

Matthew 16:19
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Just looking for feedback… no waves, I promise! 🙂
Click to expand...
The Catholic Church understands Mt. 18:18 as applying to the 12 (in that passage Jesus is addressing the 12), who are given the power of binding and loosing. This comes immediately after his counsel on settling disputes by “going to the Church” and if someone will not listen to the Church, “let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” The context is “the Church.” Then comes the “binding and loosing” statement. And the next verse is still addressing the 12:

Again I say to you, if two of **you **agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

As for binding and loosing and Peter’s Confession, Peter is neither the first nor the only person to say “you are the son of God” – Satan and the unclean spirits call him that; Nathanael does it before Peter does; Martha does it . . . So the point of Mt. 16:18 cannot be JUST Peter’s confession, although the confession is critical; it *must *be the person of Peter as well. Otherwise there would be no particular point in Jesus singling out Peter, calling him ‘the rock on which he will build his Church,’ and promising him the Keys.

Of course, without the Confession, Peter would not have been singled out. But separating Peter from his Confession doesn’t hold up.
 
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Singinbeauty:
Matthew 18:18
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
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Here Jesus is conferring Apostolic authority to all of the Apostles. An authority which is passed on to their successors, the bishops, through ordination.
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Singinbeauty:
Matthew 16:19
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
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Here Jesus gives to Simon his Apostolic authority, which he shares with the rest of the Apostles as is illustrated in the first quoted verse, but also two additional things.

1: A new name, Peter. The conferring of a new name is significant. It does not make since to give Simon a new name if Jesus was simply referring to the same type of faith and authority that was to be given to the rest of the Apostles. His new name was given due to the significance of the event. By being the one to whom the Father chose to reveal who Jesus was, Simon became Peter (Kephas), the rock upon which Christ would build His Church.

2: Keys. As was illustrated in the previous response, the giving of keys was symbolic of conferring a royal authority within a kingdom. Jesus is referring to His kingdom on Earth, which is the Church. It is an authority above that which Peter shares with the others as an Apostle. One which places him as representative to the King - His Vicar. All popes have had this dual role. That of Bishop of the Church in Rome and that of Vicar of Christ and visible head of the Church.
 
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Singinbeauty:
Matthew 18:18
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Here Jesus is talking to all the disciples. It perked my ears because this is one of the foundations of papal authority because Jesus had said this to Peter. Could it be that Jesus had turned to all of the disciples and said this to all of the disciples? That the ‘Rock’ truly was the faith that Peter had portrayed?

Matthew 16:19
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Just looking for feedback… no waves, I promise! 🙂
Click to expand...
What have you been binding and loosing lately? 😉
 
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theMutant:
Here Jesus is conferring Apostolic authority to all of the Apostles. An authority which is passed on to their successors, the bishops, through ordination.
Click to expand...
HELP! Can we revisit this real quick. I still get these daily devotional emails from a Protestant bible study I used to belong to at work. Anyway, the one today was from Matthew 18:18 and it was applied to all Christians having the power to bind and loose. So a red flag went up for me and I thought “that can’t be right, Jesus was only talking to the Apostles”. But when I went and read that verse in context it appears that in Matthew 18:1 the Disciples come to Jesus and He begins speaking to them, and it would seem from Matthew 18:1 until Peter comes to Jesus in Matthew 18:21 He was speaking with all of the Disciples and not just the Apostles. What am I missing here? How do we know that he is only speaking to the Apostles?
 
Christ was talking to them when he said this. John Smith in Iowa was not the direct receiver of this. As Christians we can take these words to our own but primarily these verses are to be taken in the context that they’re written in.

It’s so plain and simple but it’s a complete mystery to me how the entire context is completely missed by other denoms. I guess that’s the blind spot of a cradle catholic.

in XT.
 
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Traci:
HELP! Can we revisit this real quick. I still get these daily devotional emails from a Protestant bible study I used to belong to at work. Anyway, the one today was from Matthew 18:18 and it was applied to all Christians having the power to bind and loose. So a red flag went up for me and I thought “that can’t be right, Jesus was only talking to the Apostles”. But when I went and read that verse in context it appears that in Matthew 18:1 the Disciples come to Jesus and He begins speaking to them, and it would seem from Matthew 18:1 until Peter comes to Jesus in Matthew 18:21 He was speaking with all of the Disciples and not just the Apostles. What am I missing here? How do we know that he is only speaking to the Apostles?
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Jesus is speaking to ALL of His disciples here. And you too as one of His disciples.

Look at the context of the rest of this “fourth discourse” in Matthew.

For instance: verses 15-17:
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Who is Jesus speaking to and for here? He is speaking TO the Apostles. But isn’t HE also speaking TO and FOR you? Aren’t you to ‘correct your brother’ (and sister) in this way?

Also look at verse 19-20
“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Isn’t this addressed to you as as well as the Apostles?
Or is it only the Apostles to which this promise was made?

Blessings,
Richard
 
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AquinasXVI:
Christ was talking to them when he said this. John Smith in Iowa was not the direct receiver of this. As Christians we can take these words to our own but primarily these verses are to be taken in the context that they’re written in.
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OK, but that is where I am confused??? I thought I was taking it in context by looking at who Jesus was addressing, which was all of the Disciples if you look at 18:1…! That is the part I don’t understand. In context of the entire passage it would appear that Jesus is telling “all of his Disciples” that they have the power to bind and loose on earth, which I know isn’t right by what the church teaches!!! So what am I missing, how do we know that Jesus wasn’t telling us that we all have that authority to bind and loose?
 
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Richard_Hurtz:
Jesus is speaking to ALL of His disciples here. And you too as one of His disciples.

Look at the context of the rest of this “fourth discourse” in Matthew.

For instance: verses 15-17:
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Who is Jesus speaking to and for here? He is speaking TO the Apostles. But isn’t HE also speaking TO and FOR you? Aren’t you to ‘correct your brother’ (and sister) in this way?

Also look at verse 19-20
“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Isn’t this addressed to you as as well as the Apostles?
Or is it only the Apostles to which this promise was made?

Blessings,
Richard
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Alright, I guess I just need to ask God to open my heart on this one because I just really don’t understand the binding and loosing verse. If Jesus gave Peter the authority to bind and loose in Matthew 16, it would appear that He is also giving that same authority to all Disciples…so that seems to be in conflict with Church teachings on Confession and the Authority of the Church to bind and loose on earth. I know that can’t be right, so I must be missing something…Yikes…I am just not understanding!
 
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Traci:
OK, but that is where I am confused??? I thought I was taking it in context by looking at who Jesus was addressing, which was all of the Disciples if you look at 18:1…! That is the part I don’t understand. In context of the entire passage it would appear that Jesus is telling “all of his Disciples” that they have the power to bind and loose on earth, which I know isn’t right by what the church teaches!!! So what am I missing, how do we know that Jesus wasn’t telling us that we all have that authority to bind and loose?
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First you have to figure out which “disciples” Jesus is addressing. Clearly, “disciples” can mean either the crowds of disciples or the twelve. Often the twelve are specified. This passage relates back to chapter 17, where Jesus has been addressing the 12 and has just sent Peter to catch the fish with the temple tax in its mouth. Verse 1 of chapter 18 is:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” “At that time,” would indicate that audience would still be the 12, and does not change throughout this discourse.

You will find more here: catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0307sbs.asp

Although all the apostles receive the power of binding and loosing, only Peter is given the keys,. Thus, any binding and loosing must be done in union with Peter.
 
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mercygate:
First you have to figure out which “disciples” Jesus is addressing. Clearly, “disciples” can mean either the crowds of disciples or the twelve. Often the twelve are specified. This passage relates back to chapter 17, where Jesus has been addressing the 12 and has just sent Peter to catch the fish with the temple tax in its mouth. Verse 1 of chapter 18 is:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” “At that time,” would indicate that audience would still be the 12, and does not change throughout this discourse.

You will find more here: catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0307sbs.asp

Although all the apostles receive the power of binding and loosing, only Peter is given the keys,. Thus, any binding and loosing must be done in union with Peter.
Click to expand...
By golly…I think I get it 👍 It makes sense if you go back to Matthew 17, like you mentioned. I just wasn’t reading back far enough, so based on 18:1 it seemed that He was speaking to everyone, but now I see how “disciples” was referring to the 12. I think I understand. Thank you and God Bless you for your patience…I am definitely still learning!!!
 
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Traci:
By golly…I think I get it 👍 It makes sense if you go back to Matthew 17, like you mentioned. I just wasn’t reading back far enough, so based on 18:1 it seemed that He was speaking to everyone, but now I see how “disciples” was referring to the 12. I think I understand. Thank you and God Bless you for your patience…I am definitely still learning!!!
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A lot of this stuff falls into place when you just take the time to read the book. E.g., read the intro to the Epistle to the Romans in the NAB: what a job of connecting the dots to show how and to whom this letter is addressed and ***why ***that matters.
 
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Traci:
By golly…I think I get it 👍 It makes sense if you go back to Matthew 17, like you mentioned. I just wasn’t reading back far enough, so based on 18:1 it seemed that He was speaking to everyone, but now I see how “disciples” was referring to the 12. I think I understand. Thank you and God Bless you for your patience…I am definitely still learning!!!
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Hi Traci!

Also look at Matthew 28: 16-20

16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

God bless you,
Mickey
 
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Traci:
It makes sense if you go back to Matthew 17, like you mentioned. I just wasn’t reading back far enough, so based on 18:1 it seemed that He was speaking to everyone, but now I see how “disciples” was referring to the 12. I think I understand.
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👍

Sometimes it is helpful to remember that the chapter and verse annotations in our Bibles were not in the original texts, and that these chapter divisions in the Bible can be highly arbitrary. Since these chapter breaks can be arbitrary, they can also be a hindrance to understanding the meaning of the text.

A great example of this is the placing of the chapter break between Rev. 11 and Rev. 12. Revelation 11 ends with this verse: Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm.Revelation 12 begins with this verse: A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.This chapter break can lead us to think that John has finished talking about the Ark of the Covenant, and now John is about to discuss a new theme. But John never put these chapter breaks in the Book of Revelation. The original letter that John wrote would read:Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a violent hailstorm. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Without this chapter break it is much easier to see the connection that John is making – Mary is the Ark of the Covenant in Heaven!
 
Sometimes it is helpful to remember that the chapter and verse annotations in our Bibles were not in the original texts, and that these chapter divisions in the Bible can be highly arbitrary. Since these chapter breaks can be arbitrary, they can also be a hindrance to understanding the meaning of the text.

[/quote]

I’m glad you added this, Matt (BTW, is Matt16_18 *allowed *to post on a thread on Matt18:18???).

I didn’t want to clutter my response by including this point but it is something we should never lose track of when trying to ascertain the context of a pericope.
 
When dealing with Matt 16:19 & 18:18, one distinction needs to be made. In 16:19, the word “you” used in Greek is “deses” (singular, ie. the power is conferred upon Peter alone) while the “you” used in 18:18 is “humin” (plural).

One explanation that can be drawn from 18:18 is that the power is conferred upon the twelves as a whole (i.e. a corporate, i.e. not singular, power to bind and loose), that the Apostles can execrise the power in unison while only Peter can exercise that same powrer unilaterally (16:19) and without reference to the other eleven.

Francis
 
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Traci:
OK, but that is where I am confused??? I thought I was taking it in context by looking at who Jesus was addressing, which was all of the Disciples if you look at 18:1…! That is the part I don’t understand. In context of the entire passage it would appear that Jesus is telling “all of his Disciples” that they have the power to bind and loose on earth, which I know isn’t right by what the church teaches!!! So what am I missing, how do we know that Jesus wasn’t telling us that we all have that authority to bind and loose?
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The original sin is “repeated” when we believe that WE authoritatively have the right to bind and loose. To judge for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.

Christ in this passage really drops a heavy responsibility to Peter and the apostles by deputizing them to have this responsibility.

If one is given power to act in his name and forgive sins, there’s a corresponding responsibility of outlining what is morally ethical or diabolic. This is why to some the Church is just a bunch of rules and regulations. It has the unenviable office of declaring to all men what is right or wrong before God.

Think of the US Gov’t and the constitution. The whole body of Legislators are needed to articulate and extend the Constitution(a one page document), what more the bible written in a span of 4000 plus years by so many authors. Even more is it necessary to have an Authority to understand Chritian ethic. And this authority cannot be self imposed, it has to be given. Thus, the handing of the keys.

I hope that made sense Traci. Very good question by the way.

in XT.
 
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